Have I chosen the right career path?

Refer to the Hedgehog Concept to find outMany jobholders after few years of experience tend to feel uneasy about their work. The one they believed to be their dream job eventually leads them to daydream.

"I did everything to get this job and now I think I am bored at work," says one of the candidates. "I did not care about the time of the day or night, weekends or public holidays, and also prioritized work over my family and friends. Now I feel completely lost," says another jobholder with tears in her eyes.

There are many successful examples of people who have made career switches. Once, a doctor stopped practicing medicine and ventured into social entrepreneurship. Likewise, a banker doing really well at her job went to explore her career in the INGO sector. They are doing exceptionally well and have no regrets on the switch they made.

So how do we know if we've chosen the right career path or not? Or how do we direct ourselves towards one? These questions can be answered by referring to the "Hedgehog Concept" famously used by Jim Collins in his bestselling book "Good to Great."

The Hedgehog Concept asks you three questions. It helps you to focus on one big thing and stick to it. You might not be able to answer all three questions right away. However, if you start now you will be able to answer it at some point of your career. The question will lead you to the career path that you have perhaps always dreamt of. Let's explore the three questions to land ourselves in the right career.

What is your passion?

What makes you get up from the bed every morning? Passionate people do more than what they are told. They are keen about taking up responsibilities more than those defined in their job description. If you are a loan officer in a bank, then you view your job as a medium to help your clients grow their business. And if this is what you're passionate about, you will also go an extra mile to help your client.

What are you the best in the world at?

Passion alone will not work. You also need to find out what you are best in the world at. This might be something that you are naturally good at. You could be a person who can easily connect with people. Or maybe you understand people's needs and have the ability to come up with solutions that nobody can think of. It could also be that you're working in the capacity of a sales executive but you are actually more of a sales advisor to your clients. Even if the clients want to buy the product of your competitor, they will once seek your advice and approval.

What makes you money?

No level of passion or being the best in the world at something will do you any good if the same isn't helping you make any money. The key is, your passion and your ability should be able to help you make a living. For example, if you're passionate about playing guitar and equally good at it, but it isn't helping you sustain a living, then it's definitely of no use.

Need to have all three

Simply having passion and being good at your work would you happy but you will become poor. Similarly, if you are passionate about your work that also pays you well but you're still struggling to be good at it, then it is just a dream. And lastly, if you excel at your job that also pays you well but you don't have any passion for it, then you will surely be rich but will also be bored to death.

Thus, it is the intersection of these three questions where we will find the right career. It will also lead you to a successful and most gratifying career. Although you might not be able to find answers to all the three questions right away, you should start taking steps to search for them. Take this as a quest to find happiness in the career path you've chosen.